Deciding to Love You
by Reese-36
Summary: When she is cornered by a Marriage Law, Hermione despaired of losing the ability to choose who she is going to spend her life with. But when Draco Malfoy proposes a seemingly perfect solution, will she get her happy-ever-after after all?
1. Chapter 1

Deciding to Love You

A/N: So this has been in my head for a while, my crack at a Marriage Law fic. The first chapter is pretty long, but the following chapters are not going to be the same length.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter. Wish I did, though.

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Chapter 1

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Hermione Granger sat in front of the dressing table with a large, ornate mirror with her eyes closed and took a deep, calming breath. The day was finally over, but the butterflies that had been wreaking havoc in her belly were as alive as ever. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed at her image on the mirror. She never really saw herself as pretty, maybe because she never really put that much importance in appearances, but today she gave in to that suppressed vanity inside her and admired her reflection.

Her hair was swept to one side and a flow of chestnut curls cascaded down her shoulder. Her alabaster complexion was flawless and her features were tastefully enhanced by the make-up that Ginny had applied earlier that day.

It really was a beautiful wedding but now that all the guests have gone home and she was alone with her husband, the small tiara she wore on her head and her beautiful white gown seemed to weigh so heavily on her.

She heard his footsteps thudding softly against the carpeted floor and her mouth went dry, her heart started to thud painfully against her chest and she wondered if he could hear it. His grey gaze met her eyes in the mirror and her breath caught in her throat. Despite this insanity that they both got themselves into, Hermione could not deny that he was beautiful to look at.

He had shrugged off his dress robes and was fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt as he approached her.

"Do you need help?"

"Just with the tiara, I think," she replied, working hard to keep her voice from quivering.

He looked at her reflection in the mirror and gave her a small smile. Even in stillness, Draco Malfoy was beautiful. His fair hair caught the light and his piercing eyes were like pools of silver. He had such an aura of mystery about him, and even when he was just walking he exuded a feline-like grace.

He finally freed the tiara from her hair and set it lightly on the table. His deft fingers moved to the pins in her hair next. It was such an intimate moment to share with an almost total stranger and it unsettled Hermione, although it wasn't completely unpleasant.

"All done," he announced as he took out the last pin from her hair and set it on the table. He admired her reflection in the mirror for a while and ran his fingers through her curls. His hands rested on her bare shoulders and they stared at each other in the mirror for a minute. They made a pretty picture, and if Hermione had all of her wits about her at that moment she may have even appreciated it. He smiled at her again, and she gave him a small smile in return.

"I'll wash up first then, shall I?" he finally said, breaking the long moment of silence and providing a small relief from the heavy tension in the air. She nodded and he left her alone again, closing the bathroom door behind him with a small click.

Hermione let out another long breath and looked down at her hands. She always had the habit of fidgeting with her fingers when she was anxious. The gold band on her ring finger caught the light and she raised it up to her eye level and gave it a proper look.

It looked delicate; the filigree design looked liked intertwining vines that wound about forming the shape of the ring. He had mentioned that his mother had it handmade, hoping that she would be there on the day that her only son would start a new life with another.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to Narcissa Malfoy's wishes. It had almost been three years since she passed. Her body could no longer fight the after effects of the spells that she had taken over the years as the wife of Lucius Malfoy. But oddly enough, it was because of Narcissa that the match between Draco and Hermione was even possible, let alone accepted by Wizarding society.

There had been a deep and lasting stigma against the Malfoy family after the war, but surprisingly, this was focused solely upon Lucius Malfoy, the patriarch of the family.

By the time Harry Potter was done giving his statement to the Wizengamot about how it was Narcissa who deceived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named into thinking that he was dead that night in the Forbidden forest, the majority of the Wizarding community had regarded Draco and his mother as purely victims of circumstance.

Even their former schoolmates, upon witnessing the defection of the Malfoys during that final battle regarded Draco with neutral civility. Lucius Malfoy on the other hand was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban prison where he died after a year.

There was now even a quiet sort of friendship between Harry and Draco. This too, was because of Narcissa. In the year that she fell ill, she had asked to see Harry; to thank him for what he had said that day, saving her son and herself from what would have been the hatred and harsh judgment of society.

"We did not deserve such kindness from you, Mr. Potter. For that, I thank you," Narcissa had told Harry, giving him a small bow from her place on her sick bed.

"I should be the one to thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. After all, you saved my life," Harry had replied, embarrassed by the praise from the older woman.

"You really are unusually kind, Mr. Potter," she told him, patting his hand with her own.

"Please, call me Harry."

It had been Draco who escorted Harry out of the Manor with its long winding corridors.

"Potter."

Harry looked back at his old school nemesis, and as he later told Ron and Hermione, he had looked unusually tired; like he had given up on living. And with a tone that spoke of none of his usual arrogance had said, "Despite all that I've done to you in school, you saved my life twice, Potter. I know that apologizing may not be enough for what I did… for what my father has done… but on behalf of my entire family, I'm sorry. And thank you."

"You saved my life too, Malfoy. That night with the Snatchers. You knew it was me, but you didn't say anything. So let's just consider it quits, yeah?"

Malfoy looked taken aback by what Harry said, and they stood there looking at each other for a while before Harry broke the silence. "Take care of your mother, Malfoy."

Before stepping beyond the gates of the Manor to Apparate, Harry had turned back to his former enemy and said, "Oh and Malfoy, if you want… you know… company… or someone to drink with, just send an owl my way. We're all recovering from this war… and there are things that we can't really do on our own."

Draco lowered his head, giving him a small bow.

Malfoy had only owled Harry once, to inform him of his mother's passing. It was during this time that Harry had appealed to Hermione for help.

Hermione had been extremely hesitant, "What makes you think he would even want to be in the same space with me, Harry?"

Harry had raised an eyebrow at her. They both knew that Malfoy's old prejudices had gone the same way as Voldemort. It was a new era of peace; blood no longer held such significance among the upper levels of Wizarding society.

"Okay, so maybe he doesn't think that way anymore, but still Harry. We don't know each other at all, why would he talk to me?"

Harry shrugged, "You always seem to know what to say during times like these. The most I can do is to invite him for a drink, and I don't think that's really such a good idea when you're grieving."

Hermione silently agreed. Many who were suffering had lost themselves in finding solace in a bottle. Still, it took Harry a lot negotiating and a lot of talking before he finally made Hermione agree.

It was then that Draco and Hermione started their correspondence. Hermione still remembered the first notes they exchanged.

_I know that I may be the last person in the world that you may think about talking to, but it might be easier to talk to a stranger…_

_H.G._

_I had once thought that after all I had been through I was strong enough to handle anything. But back then I suppose I had not yet known sorrow…_

_D.M._

Hermione had not even expected him to reply. It also surprised her how much of the sorrow that he wrote about seemed to seep through the parchment and reach her. She realized that Malfoy seemed like he was asked to grow up too fast; growing up in an environment where a lot was heaped into his young shoulders, but being born in that station, he had no right to refuse. He was an adult, but in some ways he was still a child.

It was Ron who had been the most adamant in his refusal to accept the fact that Malfoy had changed. He kept pointing out the things that Malfoy had done to them in school, but had no retort every time Harry would point out that they had been kids back then and that Malfoy had been forced to face Voldemort himself in his own home. Only a fool would say that if he had been in that situation, he would not feel even a little sliver of fear.

Acceptance was slow in coming for Ron, as he was the most stubborn of all. But eventually Harry's attitude toward the Malfoys rubbed off on him, and he was at the very least civil towards them, although at times he still was a little suspicious. But his dislike towards the Malfoys was reduced enough for him to go to Narcissa's funeral without being forced to go.

And so three years passed in relative tranquility. The Ministry of Magic was still rounding up the lesser known Death Eaters, but there were no longer any disturbances and the Wizarding world enjoyed a new era of peace.

Harry went on to become an Auror, and he married Ginny once she graduated from Hogwarts. They had a son; James, and Ginny was currently pregnant with their second child, also a son, that Harry wanted to name after the two Hogwarts headmasters. Ginny was still working in the Ministry under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite the fact that Harry wanted her to stay at home now that she was once again with child. But then again, Ginny was a Weasley. Being stubborn seemed to be a family trait.

Ron, together with George and his wife Angelina, managed WWW, the twins' joke shop and the three of them together worked hard to make Fred's legacy flourish. He and Hermione dated for a year before they both realized that aside from their differing personalities, their differing goals and beliefs in life clashed too much for them to live a happy life together. It was insanely awkward for a while after they ended their relationship, and their affairs had been fodder for gossip for the tabloids, but eventually they were able to go back to being the best of friends although there were things that were different with regards to how the now treated each other. They still loved the other very much, but there are some things that could never go back to the way they were before they became a couple.

Ron was now dating Padma Patil who had mellowed considerably after the war. Hermione became a Healer for St. Mungo's and being the intelligent witch she was, was quickly regarded as one of the finest in the field with her research for improving and discovering new remedies for the maladies that plagued the often experimental streak of everyone in the Wizarding community.

After Narcissa's death, Draco assumed the role of head honcho for the Malfoy conglomerate and was shortly declared "Most Eligible Bachelor" in almost all the women's magazines. Paparazzi hounded his every appearance as the Malfoy heir hardly appeared in public aside from ducking in and out of the Malfoy offices. So whenever he appeared at any event, lightbulbs flashed almost non-stop in a seizure-inducing frenzy. It seemed that after everything that happened to him and to his family, he wanted nothing more but to live the remainder of his life in relative peace.

Everything in the Wizarding world had seemed to return to normal, until six months ago, when the Ministry of Magic passed the Marriage Law. Due to the significant decline of the magical population in the last ten years, the Ministry had become very concerned about the future of the community.

In a nutshell, the law stated that all witches and wizards of marrying age should register at the Ministry within a month after the law was passed, with the name of their spouse-to-be. Upon registration, they must then be married within a year. If a witch or wizard failed to register within the stipulated period of time, in a sense they became a ward of the Ministry, and the institution will be the one to find a proper partner for them.

The law received many protests, but in the end, there was nothing else that can be done when the law was passed. Dating services became rampant, and it seemed like everyone was suddenly infected with wedding fever. Especially the parents. As it was normal for witches and wizards to marry early, there were not a lot of protests from the parents. At least, in the period of time given to them, they were free to choose whoever they wished to marry.

Harry had no issues, as he was already married, and Ron had mentioned that although it was pushed a little early, he and Padma had already been planning to get married. It was Hermione who found herself in a pickle as she had been totally focused on her career and had not dated someone properly since she and Ron had ended their relationship. Ginny had started to set up blind dates for her in an effort to help her find a nice bloke to settle down with, but in vain.

As the last few days of the registration loomed near, Hermione had become resigned to the fact that in the end, her future happiness might be in the hands and the mechanical heart of the Ministry. She hated thinking about it as it made her depressed.

One Wednesday afternoon after she made her rounds, her assistant knocked on her office door and informed her that a man was here to see her. He didn't have an appointment, so she checked in with her boss first.

"Who is it?" Hermione asked, her eyes and her focus never leaving the patient chart that she had been perusing.

"A Mr. Malfoy , Healer Granger," was her assistant's reply.

"Malfoy?" she had exclaimed in surprise, dropping her quill. She dove under her desk for it and instructed her assistant to let him in. The young woman did as she was told, becoming flustered as she showed the man into her boss' office.

"What brings you here today, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, getting right down to business after asking her guest to sit down on one of the chairs in front of her desk and offering him tea or coffee which he politely declined. It was odd that they communicate through letters regularly, but still addresses each other formally in person. It might be because outside the world of ink and parchment, they hardly spent time together in person, as they were both busy people. They would only occasionally meet when there were gatherings in which they were both in attendance.

"I hope I didn't catch you at an inconvenient time," he had remarked, glancing at the piles of papers on her desk. "You seem extremely busy."

"Not as busy as I usually am, actually. Just going through some patient records," she closed the folder in front of her as she replied, looking at him expectantly. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

He had seemed nervous about being there, although he was trying not to let it show. It was a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I actually have a proposition for you, Ms. Granger."

"A proposition."

"Yes. Something that, I think, would benefit both of us. But it is a private matter, so I don't think that this would be the… best… place to talk about it. What time do you usually get off work?"

Hermione glanced at the clock in the corner of her office. "Soon. Just an hour more and I can leave."

Draco nodded as he stood up and took a small card from his coat pocket. He slid the card across the table to her. "That's the address of a hotel in London, not sure if you're familiar with it."

Hermione read the address and nodded, "Yes, I've passed by it a few times."

"We'll meet there then, in an hour. Would that be agreeable?"

Again, she nodded. He gave her a small, tentative smile, "I'll see you then, Ms. Granger. Thank you for your time." And he gave her a small bow before leaving her office.

The hotel was fancy, and upon telling the person at the front desk that she was to meet , she was given a key for the penthouse suite. The lift opened directly to the penthouse, and Hermione was looking at an exquisite painting that was hanging in the foyer when Draco made his appearance.

He showed her to the sitting room, offered her a drink which she refused, and they both sat down opposite each other.

"So… what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Hermione said as she took her seat.

Draco was silent as he raised his Firewhiskey to his lips. The tension was thick in the air, and Hermione silently wondered if she should have taken up his offer for that drink. He looked out of the large window of the suite before finally turning to look at her.

"I had heard that you were not yet betrothed, Ms. Granger," Draco began as he walked back toward the settee, and Hermione's eyes turned round in surprise.

"From whom did you hear that?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Well, it matters to me."

Draco took another sip before replying, "A friend of yours."

Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously into slits, reminding Draco of an angry Prof. McGonagall. He wondered vaguely if Hermione took lessons from the old witch.

"It was Ginny, wasn't it?" Hermione demanded, and she flushed in embarrassment when Draco nodded. "Oh Merlin – did she set this up?"

Hermione wanted to dig a hole and crawl in it. She had never been so humiliated. She knew that Ginny meant well, but Malfoy? What had she been thinking?

"I am so sorry, Malfoy. Ginny had no right at all to force this on you. I know sometimes she can get so persuasive that –"

"She didn't force me to do this," Draco interrupted the flow of her apology. "We bumped into each other in Diagon Alley and chatted for a while. Eventually we got to talking about the Marriage Law and she just happened to mention that you were not yet betrothed. She was worried, and I suppose I was just someone she had told to get a little load of her chest. After that, we then parted ways."

"I – I see."

Draco placed his empty glass on the center table and took a deep breath. "Ms. Granger… Hermione. I know this will sound… completely insane, but I'm hoping you would keep an open mind and hear me out first before you disagree. Could you assure me of that at least?"

Hermione nodded.

"There are only a few more days for the registration in the Ministry, and you are not yet betrothed."

"I know," Hermione sighed.

"Neither am I."

It was one of those very few moments in Hermione's life that her unusually quick mind failed her. She knew where things were going, but there was also something holding her back from making the conclusion.

"Wait. Just… are you suggesting that we…?"

"I know that it's not the most ideal situation, Hermione. But I think this kind of arrangement would benefit the both of us. And frankly speaking, I would rather still want to have a little bit of control over who I am supposed to marry rather than have the Ministry decide that for me."

It was an incredulous idea, but at the same it time, it appealed to her logical nature. It made so much sense, but at the same time it was such a great decision.

"You do understand that this will be something we won't be able to get out of easily, don't you?"

Draco nodded leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He was still his usual calm self, but a slight hint of nervousness also swam up to the surface. He was, after all, placing something which could greatly impact his life in the hands of another person.

"Yes, I do. Believe me when I say that before I decided to come to you, I gave this a very deep thought. However, faced with the circumstances such as the ones we have right now, this makes perfect sense."

"Yes… it does…" Hermione admitted weakly.

"You don't have to give me your decision now. I know it's a big decision to make. So… just get back to me on it, alright? But please, do give it some thought."

They ended their meeting that way. When she got home, it was all that Hermione thought about. From the moment she left the hotel until she lay down on her own bed that night, it was something that occupied her thoughts completely.

She thought about it for a whole day and when she finally came to a decision, she found herself in the Malfoy offices after hours, waiting to be led inside the head honcho's office.

"Hermione," Draco said as he stood up when she entered the very spacious office. He led her to a small sitting area to the side and asked her to take a seat. "I apologize for making you come here for this, I would have preferred a more private setting but we're currently quite busy around here."

Hermione gave him a small smile as she took a seat opposite him in the small settee, "No problem at all. I've heard talk about your big takeover of the Parkinson account."

Draco chuckled lightly. It was such a part of her personality to be knowledgeable about almost anything. "I wouldn't really call it a takeover but, let's be honest, Pansy is not much of a business woman and her father has such worries about what would happen to her when he passes. I'm just taking charge, that's all."

"Well, I am sure you are more than capable for the job," she complimented him with all sincerity. Despite his innate talent when it comes to the magical, Draco was also very surprisingly talented when it came to business. Under his direction, Malfoy Industries was enjoying their most progressive years in the business industry.

"Thank you," Draco replied. "So… have you come to a decision about my proposal?"

Hermione took a deep breath before replying, "I did. I thought about it. Too much, I think. I even came up with a list of pros and cons inside my head. But before I give you my answer, I have to know one thing."

"Anything."

Hermione took another deep breath and looked into the grey depths that were Draco Malfoy's eyes, "Why me?"

Draco leaned back into the back of the settee and contemplated for a while. The way he was looking at her giving her the same feeling she once had when Dumbledore scrutinized her in his office. It was not a cruel look, but he was silent for the longest time, just contemplating her. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore and she started to squirm a little in her seat, Draco finally spoke up.

"I chose you because there is no other woman like you, Hermione."

It was such a simple sentence, but it held so many implications. Too many implications, in all honesty, but those implications were just something that even Hermione's brilliant mind could not fathom.

"I don't think there is any other woman that I would be honored to share my family name with. Plus, I think you're the only woman out there that wouldn't be totally disgusted with the thought of sharing a space with me every single day," he ended with a wistful smile, slightly amused by his own joke.

Hermione let out a small giggle at his attempt at poking fun at himself. Despite what he might think about the witches' opinion of him, he was in reality, a highly sought after bachelor. It was one of the things that surprised her when she first heard his proposal. He could have picked any other witch and nobody would have refused him; and yet, he came to her.

"I've also heard that you need some funding for some research," Draco mentioned.

Hermione's ears perked up. She had been trying to get funding for her research in the improvement of the Wolfsbane potion. It had been difficult to find funding for it since most of the people in authority thought that the potion was already fine the way it is.

"Are you bribing me with research funding, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione questioned, narrowing her eyes.

Draco immediately shook his head, "Of course not. I didn't mean it that way, I apologize. I just meant that if you became my wife, you wouldn't really need to find funding anywhere else for your research. Malfoy Industries does have a research facility, and you would have more resources at your disposal."

Hermione found it hard to disagree with his logic, and Malfoy Industries had been one of the leading sponsors to most of the research launched by the hospital and other scholars.

"You're mapping out all the things that would be advantageous for me, but what about you? What would you gain from this marriage?"

Draco gave her a smile that she had never seen before graze his face. It was a smile that made him ever more beautiful, which she didn't think was possible anymore. It was soft and almost tender.

"Well, aside from marrying a woman with great substance, I think you would actually make a wonderful wife. Hermione."

At that point in time, everything just made sense that even Hermione thought that given the deadline for registration, it was the perfect solution to both of their problems. The proposition was sealed that evening, and they talked to their friends and family that evening. Mostly Hermione's friends and family. Much to her surprise, aside from the expected outburst from Ron, Hermione's decision was well supported. The consensus was that for someone who was as brilliant Hermione, the only wizard that they could think of that could equal her would be Draco.

Quoting a little bit of Jane Austen, as she had borrowed some of Hermione's books to read while she rested at home, Ginny told her that, "I know you, Hermione. I don't believe that you would ever be happy with someone who you did not think of as your equal."

And when both of them came down to the Ministry for the registration, newspaper photographers hounded the Ministry entrance and flashbulbs flashed like crazy when both of them arrived. It was all over the newspapers in a few hours and Draco was bombarded with congratulations from his business associates and some letters from some of his former housemates with messages ranging from polite greetings to incredulity from his more outspoken acquaintances.

The wedding was planned so quickly that Hermione could not even clearly remember what was what. But the result was a beautiful and intimate ceremony. The reception was grand, as Draco had many acquaintances and business partners that needed to be invited, and it had been an exhausting few hours.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Tomorrow will be her first day as Draco's wife. Aside from the anxiety that had been constant in her mind, she could not deny that she was also curious about what was about to unfold.

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A/N: Please review! I would like to hear what you think about where this could be going. I could kill this if it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere good. .


	2. Chapter 2

Deciding to Love You

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. ^_^ Much appreciated. I would probably be only to update once every few weeks since I'm busy with work now. But I am trying to get more chapters written quicker so I have a chapter to upload every week. Wish me luck on that.

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Chapter 2

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Hermione walked into the master bedroom of Malfoy's home and upon seeing the furnishings and the interior there was no doubt in her mind of how rich her husband was. It had surprised Hermione a little when she alighted from the carriage that took her away from her small cottage home to look up to an unfamiliar building.

"I thought we were going to Malfoy manor?" she had asked her husband as he straightened his coat and grabbed her overnight bag without looking away from the view in front of her.

"This is still Malfoy manor. Well, the smaller one that is," he said as he offered his arm to her. She took his arm as they walked the short pathway remaining to the main door of the house and looked up questioningly at her husband.

"My mother originally bought this estate to give to her second child."

"Her second child?"

"In theory. My mother wanted more children, but she was a delicate woman in health. She was no longer able to carry a child to term after she had me," Draco replied patting the hand on his arm absently as he spoke. He could see the sympathy in her eyes for his mother and he found another reason to consider himself lucky in his choice of wife.

"So she bought this property to give to any possible siblings you may have had?"

Draco nodded, "Malfoy manor is given only to the first born son. If she had had another child, this estate would be his. Or hers."

Hermione smiled. It was very typical of a mother to look into the future when it came to the security of her children. "Your mother was a very intelligent woman."

Draco chuckled, "Very tenacious too. And stubborn."

"All the Blacks are stubborn."

"Indeed they are," Draco agreed readily, their laughter ringing loudly across the large space. "Now that everyone in Britain knows where the manor is, I don't get any peace at all. So, I decided to move here where it's relatively peaceful. We still use the manor for corporate events though; the ballroom there is larger than the one here."

It was a very beautiful building. Compared to the gothic style of the original Malfoy manor, the building and the sprawling estate was done in the French style. Also compared to the dark and imposing air of his ancestral home, this home with its light stone walls and blue roof was bright and welcoming.

"It is a very beautiful place," Hermione murmured as she looked around at her new surroundings.

"Good. I'm glad you like it," Draco smiled softly as he looked down at her, being almost a head taller than she was.

The interior of the house was just as beautiful as the outside Hermione discovered as she stepped inside. It was bright and with the furnishings there was no doubt that Malfoy was a wealthy man. It was luxurious but simple at the same time. Hermione who had relatively simpler tastes than her husband actually found it to her liking as it was done very tastefully.

Hermione gasped as he led her to the master suite. It was a large space with a sitting area and a white and gold theme. It was an ironic mix of luxury and coziness. Another pair of double doors led into the bedroom that had the same white and gold theme and Hermione explored the space, touching the furniture and looking through the large windows that led out to a small balcony that gave her a view of their backyard. There was large pool and a garden.

Draco placed her overnight bag on the foot of the bed and watched her as she made her way around the room. He couldn't help but compare her to a small child that was unusually curious about her new surroundings.

Hermione turned and discovered her husband watching her as she made her way around the room, an expectant look on his face. Suddenly her throat went dry as she took in the large bed that occupied the center of the room. Done in the same French style as the rest of the interior with heavy draping and with mint green coverings, it suddenly became an imposing presence between them.

"I knew there was a mark of you being a Slytherin somewhere," Hermione joked, trying to clear up the sudden awkwardness that entered the room.

Draco chuckled, "Well, green is my favorite color."

They laughed softly together but the awkwardness didn't dissipate much between them. A minute or two of silence passed between them before Draco cleared his throat.

"Well, I suppose you would want to wash up after the carriage ride before the grand tour?"

"Oh, yes. That would be nice."

Draco nodded, "The bathroom is behind those doors, and the closet is behind those…"

He pointed to two doors on one side of the room. "All of your other clothes are already in the closet, but you might want them organized in a specific way so…"

"Oh, yes. But however your house elves did it should be fine."

"Alright then," Draco replied, placing his hands inside his pockets and walking towards the door and turning back to her before completely leaving the bedroom. "I'll wait for you outside, shall I?"

Hermione nodded to him and left out a huge breath when the door clicked closed. When she weighed the pros and cons about this marriage in her head, she did not necessarily think too far into the future. For example, she never really gave a lot of thought to what it would be like to actually live with him. Will they have special sleeping arrangements? So far, it seemed that Malfoy expected them to live as an actual married couple. Which meant sharing a room. And sharing a bed.

Hermione took in another deep breath and ordered herself not to panic. She talked to herself about what was rational about this situation. They were both adults. And they were married. It wasn't a situation that they would easily get out of, not that there was a way anyway.

To distract herself a little for the time being, Hermione opened the door to their en suite bathroom. As masculine as Malfoy's charm was, he most definitely did not deny himself of his creature comforts. It was a large bath, with a marble bath and gold fixtures. There was wide mirror as well with a his and hers sink and cupboards. She also reminded herself to start calling him by his first name as she now shared his last name.

Coming to the conclusion that she can't possibly spend all day in the bathroom, she washed up as she said she would and walked into the small sitting room where her husband was waiting for her.

* * *

It was nightfall when they finished the tour of the house, and dinner was waiting for them as they entered the dining room.

"This is delicious," Hermione said after swallowing her bit of roast beef.

"Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know how to cook?" Draco asked her after taking a sip of wine.

"Hmmm… it depends on what you want to eat.

Draco chuckled, "Will I ever know what that is supposed to mean exactly?"

"Well, I'm really good with sticking frozen dinners in the oven and I'm almost an expert at ordering take out."

Draco laughed heartily as he speared some string beans with his fork, "So there is something that you're not good at then."

Hermione shrugged, "Well, no one is perfect after all."

"You come mighty close."

Hermione looked at the grey eyes that peered at her above the crystal wineglass in his hand. It unnerved her how he could suddenly say things like that so flippantly, and that it caused a riot of butterflies to wreak havoc in her stomach.

Draco seemed to have noticed her sudden awkwardness and cleared his throat a little bit as he adjusted the napkin on his lap. "But if you would like, I can teach you a few things."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at that, "Really? You know how to cook?"

Draco shrugged, "I was mostly left to the care of the house elves when I was younger. And they spend most of their time in the kitchen."

Hermione giggled. She couldn't quite imagine a young Draco in the kitchen of all places. "What was the first thing that you ever learned how to cook?"

"A fruit tart."

"A fruit tart?" Hermione repeated.

"It was a challenge, you know," Draco replied in a mock serious tone, "There is a lot to deal with plus the crust is very fragile."

"You should teach me some time."

"Of course," Draco nodded in agreement, "Assuming the house elves let us into the kitchen."

They shared another laugh and dinner conversation flowed more smoothly throughout their meal. It was amazing how time could make so much difference. If the seventeen year old Hermione was ever told that she would enjoy a meal with Draco Malfoy of all people and end up being married to him, she might have laughed out loud at the absurdity of it or hexed the messenger. Most likely she would have hexed the messenger.

When they retired to their bedroom, the awkwardness between them was lifted enough that Hermione was able to open up to Draco about their sleeping arrangements, and how she felt about them. She didn't notice she was blabbering about it so much until Draco chuckled and told her to relax.

"Hermione, relax. We don't have to do - anything. We're just sharing a bed. I'm not going to jump you."

Hermione was so taken aback that she replied, "You're not?"

"You sound disappointed."

"No! I mean, I just didn't think that you would agree to what I was saying."

"Well, to tell you honestly, I expect to practice my rights as a husband too, but I'm in no rush. We're in a bit of a peculiar situation so - it's understandable."

"So… no rush."

"No rush," Draco emphasized, "And I don't think we know each other enough to - well, you know. Anyway, I think the bed is large enough for the both of us."

Indeed it was. After a few days, they eventually fell into a pattern when it came to their night time ablutions. Hermione took nightly showers while Draco liked to do so in the mornings. Draco was an early riser and he was already in the breakfast nook reading the Daily Prophet and on his second cup of coffee by the time Hermione came down for breakfast. They left together for London where they both work and Draco would fetch Hermione from St. Mungo's if she wasn't held up with work or if he wasn't swamped with paperwork.

The paparazzi had a field day everyday for a few weeks, snapping pictures of the couple and making up ridiculous articles just for the sake of writing something about them, but eventually it mellowed down a notch. They were still in the tabloids and magazines, but mostly for insignificant prattle such as their fashion choices or where they would eat dinner or what events they attended together.

Most of the publications declared them "London's Favorite Power Couple" as such; even the younger generation recognized them in the streets. The next speculation about them was when they were going to start adding to their family.

That is a very good question.

* * *

Read and Review Please!


	3. Chapter 3

Deciding to Love You

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Keep them coming. ^_^ I'm trying to make the chapters longer than I usually make them, so just a little patience when it comes to updates.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just the plot of this story.

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Chapter 3

* * *

"Healer Granger, your husband is here."

Hermione looked up from the letter she was writing to see her assistant at her door, the young woman's face a little flushed. It was painfully obvious that she had a little crush on Draco. Not that she could really blame her assistant. Her husband was charming when he wanted to be.

"Hi. You seem busy," Draco said as he entered her office.

"Just finishing up this letter to the Department of Experimental Charms and Spells," Hermione replied, sealing her letter with wax.

"Something urgent?" he asked, standing in front of her desk, re arranging some of the things she had on her table.

"Not necessarily. It's just been something they been following up with all the researchers for a while. Some fiasco with the delivery of the letters," Hermione replied, looking amusedly at her husband's attempt at re arranging her desk.

It was one of the new things that she learned about Draco. He has always been neat, but he became very finicky when it came to his workspace. Everything should be placed just so. It was one of the few things that she discovered about him since she started dating him.

Yes, they were married. But they just started dating. It was actually Draco's idea. And when he was selling this idea to her, she also found out that he was very persuasive. She could still remember the week that ended up with that night. They were not having the best of weeks and had been unusually aloof towards one another.

* * *

*Three weeks ago*

Hermione entered the dining room of the mansion and found her husband already seated, sipping some wine and reading a file.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, things have been quite hectic in the office," she said as she sat across from her husband.

"That's alright. Shall we eat?" Draco replied, setting aside his file and unfolding his napkin.

It was probably the most silent meal that they had shared. After the perfunctory small talk, nothing else was said. They both refused dessert and went their separate ways. Draco to his home office, and Hermione to their bedroom suite.

Hermione sighed as she took of her earrings. It had been a busy week. She had been so stressed at work that she perhaps had not been a very good wife lately. She looked down at her hands and played a little with her ring. Draco had been a gentleman as always, and Hermione wanted to kick herself for the way she had treated him this week. She had been short and a little impatient with him, and had been bordering on irritable whenever he asked how she was doing. Hermione never did cope very well with stress.

She sighed again and decided that she needed to go downstairs and have a little talk with her husband and apologize.

Draco looked up at her and put down the folder that he was reading through as she entered his office. There was a concerned look on his face as he stood up to meet her as she walked toward him. It made Hermione feel worse about herself and how she had been treating him, because despite all that, here he was; still as accommodating as ever.

"Is everything alright, Hermione?"

"Oh. Everything's fine I just… I thought I would bring you this," Hermione stuttered awkwardly, not really sure about how she was going to go about apologizing and instead help up the glass of Firewhiskey that she fetched for him.

Draco gave her an amused look and a grin before accepting the glass from her. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Hermione let out a breath, "No, not really."

Draco's brow furrowed with concern and he put down the glass on his desk, took Hermione's hand and led her towards the small sitting area in his office. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing serious at all, actually. I just want to apologize. To you."

"Apologize?" Draco repeated. He had an adorably confused look on his face, "For what?"

Hermione was taken aback by his question but nevertheless, decided to follow through on her apology. "Well, I haven't been the best of wives lately. And I've just been really stressed at work this week, and I know that's not your fault, it's just this thing I have and I could get really frazzled if a lot of people are breathing down my neck and I know that you probably don't know all my quirks and that's a really lame excuse but -"

Hermione knew that she was babbling which was something she didn't do often, but when she was really nervous it just came out of her mouth. So she was actually a little relieved when Draco patted her hand and as he was chuckling, politely asked her to stop talking.

"Hermione. Love. It's alright," Draco said, the endearment sending a pleasant tingle up Hermione's spine. "We both had a tough week, so it's alright."

"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered, laying her head on her husband's shoulder. It's been a really tiring week for her.

"Actually, Hermione, I have something that I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, looking at Draco who had a hesitant, but determined look on his face.

"How long have we been married?"

"A month."

"Yes. It's been a month already, but we haven't really made any progress."

"Progress?" Hermione repeated. Her heart started to thud painfully against her chest.

Draco must have read her mind and chuckled, "No, no. Not **that**. But of course, I want **that** too. But I meant that… well, it hasn't really felt like a marriage, what we have."

"Okay…"

"We don't know each other, but we've already been living in the same house for a month. Am I wrong? Am I the only one who feels that way?"

Hermione gave it a serious thought before answering. Actually, Hermione did feel the same way. She can't deny that she was attracted to her husband. He was beautiful. And she had certain… needs, as well. But the major thing that was holding her back was because she in fact felt that she didn't know her husband enough. It was an old-fashioned sentiment, but Hermione was old-fashioned about things like that. Plus, it was something that they needed if they wanted any chance to make their marriage last.

"No. I feel like there are many things that we don't know about each other yet, but where exactly is this leading, Draco?"

"I think, we should start going out."

"Going out," Hermione echoed. She was a little lost.

"Dating, love. Dating," Draco clarified. He had a small smile on his face, amused at his wife's reaction.

"We're married, but you want us to start dating?"

"Well, yes. I know it's a little backwards, but you know… it keeps the flame alive for older couples. It might just start the fire for us."

Hermione laughed softly at his comparison, "That sounds like a good idea, actually."

"Good."

And they had sealed the deal with a sweet kiss.

* * *

"So are you hungry? I made reservations at this small bistro I found in Hogsmeade," Draco asked, taking Hermione back to the present. "They make Italian food mostly, and they have a really good selection of desserts."

It was one of the new things Hermione found out about her husband, he loved sweets. He had another stomach just for sweets.

"That sounds good," Hermione replied, as she grabbed her purse. Draco was holding up her coat for her and he dropped a kiss on her head before they stepped out of the door.

Draco was actually a physical being and very affectionate. It surprised Hermione a little bit, but appreciated the comfort that his small gestures gave her. He was never over-the-top with it like Ron had been when they were dating. Along with the affection that they now shared freely, Hermione could feel the attraction between them growing as well.

It had been a little just short of torture for Hermione seeing him coming out from the shower every morning clad in just a towel. It turns out that Draco had been waking up so early in the past because he felt awkward sharing their bedroom space in the mornings. Seeing his water-slicked body the first time almost gave her a small heart attack. Hermione didn't quite know until when she would be able to stand it.

It was the weekend, and the bistro had excellent food and wine so Draco and Hermione stayed a little longer than they usually did. It was near closing time when they left and the house lights were dimmed when they arrived. It had been another busy week for the both of them, but they were not yet too tired to immediately go to bed.

They decided to have some wine in the sitting room of the master suite for a while before turning in for the night.

"I really liked your dress tonight," Draco remarked sitting down beside Hermione on the couch.

Hermione blushed. Admittedly, she had taken more care about the way she looked for tonight. Her husband always looked so handsome even after he came from a long day at work, so she figured she needed to put in more effort on how she looked every day. The little black dress she wore today was a little dressier than what she usually wore, but it was still functional and easy to move in.

"Thank you. Ginny helped to pick it out," Hermione said, playing with the hem of her dress.

"Very pretty," Draco murmured before giving her a kiss.

He tasted like wine, and his kiss was sweet as usual. One thing that Hermione loved when Draco kissed her is that he liked to hold her face. It was a very intimate gesture that made Hermione's heart flutter. So when Draco pulled her closer and deepened their kiss, she let him. She didn't know how, but when they eventually came to a natural pause, she was seated on his lap.

"Maybe we should go to bed now," Draco murmured, tucking some loose tendrils of Hermione's hair behind her ears. What he said sounded more like a question than a statement. Like he didn't really want to move from where he was, but did not want to push Hermione into something she was not yet ready to do. Hermione could definitely relate. And she decided then and there that she was ready for all the aspects of married life. All of it.

"The bed sounds good," Hermione replied, as she fiddled with her husband's tie. "But sleep is probably the last thing on my mind right now."

"Oh? What's on your mind then?" Draco replied in what Hermione presumed was supposed to be a cool manner, but she smiled a little at the sudden hoarseness of his voice.

"Maybe you would like to exercise your rights as a husband?" Without waiting for a response from her husband, she stood up and walked towards the double doors of their bedroom. When she looked back at him, he had stood up but was still looking a little hesitantly at her.

"Hermione, as I said before, there's no rush."

He really was a gentleman. But Hermione knew that like her, he had needs too. And unbeknownst to her, she was already starting to develop a very deep affection for the beautiful man standing in front of her. So instead of trying to convince him further with words that she was ready, she walked back to where he was standing, gave him a kiss and with his hand in hers, led him to their bedroom.

* * *

A/N: Was that moving a little fast? Let me know what you think. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Deciding to Love You

A/N: Thanks to everyone who sent me reviews and to those who added this to their favorites and followed this little fic of mine. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I wouldn't be working in an office.

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Chapter 4

* * *

Draco woke up a little bleary and looked around the room he was in. It took him a moment to remember why he was in the chateau in France. It was the sixth month of his marriage, and he and Hermione decided to spend the weekend in France to celebrate. He sat up and leaned against the pillows as a wave of pain shot through his skull.

"You had too much wine at dinner in case you've momentarily forgotten the reason for your headache."

Draco looked up to see his wine leaning against the door frame, an amused and partly exasperated look on her face. "Please tell me I didn't marry a drunk, Draco," she joked.

Draco chuckled, massaging his temples, "I just got a little carried away tonight. The wine was a very good vintage."

"I suppose," Hermione replied, walking toward him. He loved seeing her in the clothes she wore to bed. It was always a little different every time. Sometimes it would be a sexy piece of lingerie, a peignoir, an oversized t-shirt, but tonight it was the shirt he wore earlier. It engulfed her small frame and ended just a little below her thigh.

"Nice shirt."

Hermione blushed a little at that, but cheekily replied, "What can I say? I look good in most of the clothes I wear."

"More than good," Draco teased her as she sat beside him on the bed. Draco loved the fairly new intimacy that he shared with his wife. He was more than pleasantly surprised; he had expected Hermione to be reserved and bashful in the bedroom, but discovered that she was as passionate in lovemaking as she was about everything else. She really was a lioness. But despite the fierce passion there was also a calm and warm affection. She was perfect.

"I brought you a hangover potion, but I'm starting to change my mind."

Draco laughed, "I'll be good now."

"I have a feeling that's only until the effect starts to kick in," she teased him, but gave him the small bottle of light blue potion anyway.

Draco grimaced a little as the potion slid down his throat. He placed it on the nightstand beside the bed and saw a small plate of sliced fruit on top of it.

"I thought you might be hungry when you wake up," Hermione shrugged.

"You really think of everything." He was a very lucky man.

She smiled and gave him a kiss."Eat a little bit," she told him as she stood up from her seat on the bed.

Draco's arms were reluctant in letting her go. "Where are you going?"

"I need a shower. I'll be right back," she replied as she sashayed her way to the en suite bath. Draco's eyes followed her every movement until the door to the bath closed with a small click.

Draco sighed. Not the best time for a hangover headache, but he could feel the potion starting to take effect. He grabbed an apple slice from the plate on the nightstand and shucked off the sheets from his body. He could use a shower too, he thought as he grinned to himself.

* * *

Much later after lathering much attention to his wife's body and heating up the bath further that the steam was almost suffocating, Draco pulled Hermione closer to him as she slept soundly in his arms. He traced small circles in her belly, imagining what it would be like to feel a small life moving underneath his hands. Although he knew that she was not yet ready to take that next step, he also could not erase the nagging doubt at the back of his mind that she may never be ready to have children with him because she would not come to love him. After all, "where there is love, there is life", and though they have developed a more intimate relationship, the affection they had with each other now was not of the romantic type, but the affection that naturally developed between two people that have shared a bed.

Could he be satisfied with this, he wondered. He would never cheat on her, not when he was not left wanting at all in _that_ department, but Draco knew his wife. Eventually she would find the lack of emotional attachment in their marriage lacking.

He was brought out of his musings when she turned in the circle of his arms and murmured. Taking a lock of her hair in his fingers, he gazed at her sleeping face.

"Go to sleep," she murmured more coherently this time, "Aren't you tired?"

"I'm remembering the naughty things we did in the shower and it's keeping me up," he teased her. The blush he was expecting crept up her cheeks.

"Merlin, Draco…"

He chuckled, "Sleep, love. I'll join you in Morpheus' realm soon."

"Hmmm… I like that," she mumbled sleepily, her voice thick with exhaustion.

"Like what?"

"When you call me "love"… I like it," she managed to reply before she succumbed to sleep once more.

"That's because I do, Hermione," he whispered softly to the sleeping woman in his arms.

And that was the truth that Draco finally admitted to himself that night.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the super long wait before this, but aside from being busy with work my computer's hard drive gave in to old age and I have just recently replaced it.

Reviews are much appreciated! ^_^


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